Connecting Campus and Community
Grinnell College and the town in which it is located are connected by more than a name. Each is immeasurably enriched by the other. College-community partnerships can be as informal as neighbors helping neighbors, and as substantive as major revitalization projects.
Since 2012, Grinnell College has partnered with the Grinnell Area Chamber of Commerce and City of Grinnell on downtown development — specifically to intentionally build out the “zone of confluence” between the campus and downtown business district, with the goal of continued downtown revitalization through social and economic activity. These College-community development initiatives are energizing and connecting campus and downtown. Recognized by the state of Iowa in 2016 with an incentive through the Iowa Reinvestment District program, many new developments in Grinnell have been eligible to receive a tax rebate on new retail sales generated since 2020.
EMERA by Merge Urban Development
Project Description: Emera by the Merge Urban Development Group is the first new market-rate housing located in the Zone of Confluence. This project will attract new downtown residents, increase overall activity in the downtown area, and support further growth of local businesses. The building will be open to the general public. Located on Main Street, the building will feature four stories containing a mix of studio, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom units, micro-retail space for commercial tenants, and a large restaurant space.
Project Location: 1020 Main Street
Project Status: In Progress
Target Projected Completion Date: TBD
All dates are subject to change pending approvals, material, and workforce availability.
Completed Projects
821 Fifth Ave
Downtown Office Building
In September of 2016 the College purchased the four-story office building at 821 Fifth Ave. This building houses Grinnell College’s Office of Communications and Marketing on the third floor. The first and second floors house offices for senior and emeriti faculty members and the fourth floor is rented out to non-college tenants as office space.
933 Main Street
Grinnell College Bookstore
The Grinnell College Pioneer Bookshop supports education and promotes Grinnell College and the community. This downtown location opened in September of 2016.
Facades Phase 1
The City of Grinnell, Iowa worked with RDG Planning & Design to improve the facades of 13 different storefronts. Proposed work was reviewed by the State Historic Preservation Office and funding was received in grants through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program as well as the College and property owners. This phase 1 of the project was completed in February 2017. This first phase has inspired subsequent stages of downtown facade improvement by the city of Grinnell.
Project Location: 800 & 900 block of Broad Street, 800 block of Fourth Ave, 900 block of Main Street, Grinnell, IA 50112
Renfrow Hall
Renfrow is a unique facility at the nexus between the College campus and the town of Grinnell. Conceived as a gateway that fuses and dissolves the barriers between town and institution, the project presents an extraordinary new model for 21st-century living and learning. The residential portion of the building houses approximately 110 students committed to civic engagement in modern apartment-style living. The Katherine Howell Weingart ’61 Civic Innovation Pavilion serves as the public portion of Renfrow Hall, offering a unique gathering space dedicated to campus and community connection, collaboration, and exchange while building on a strong Grinnell tradition of community-wide partnerships and problem-solving.
Broad Street 1000 Block South Energy Plant
The College is continuing to grow its heating, cooling, and power distribution, with further progress in reducing electric and fossil fuel consumption with the ultimate long-term goal of being carbon neutral. The 821 5th Ave building (basement) is the home of the new hot water boiler plant. New heating and cooling water piping, as well as campus power, is routed between campus from the 821 5th Ave building to the north, serving upcoming building projects at the Broad St. and Hwy 6 vicinity, connecting with the College’s existing on-campus distribution systems.